Tracker-board.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB BINNIG, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MASON da I-IAMLIN COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACIIU SETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TRACKER-BOARD Application iled March 19,1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BINNIG, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Boston, county oi Suffolk, and State oi Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Tracker-Boards, oi which the lfollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to tracker-boards, and has or its object to provide a novel construction ot trackerboard which is well adapted to be made oi metal (although the invention is not limited to a metal trackerboard), and in which the apertures can be arranged very compactly, thus permitting a certain number oi apertures to be placed in a less space than is possible with tracker-boards as commonly made.

Some embodiments of my invention will [lrst be described and then the novel features thereoi pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings which show one embodiment ol my invention, Figure I is a top plan view oi a tracker-board constructed according to my invention, a part ther-eel". being broken out, Fig. 2 is a section on the line a-a, Fig. I; Fig. 3 is a view o the tracker-board partly in plan, partly on the line y-i Fig. 2, and partly on the line :z3-1t, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top plan view oi a portion oi one oi the side pieces oi the tracker-board aiter it has been slotted for the reception oi the partitions', Fig. 5 is a section on the line b-b, Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a section on the line c-c, Fig. 4; Fig. 7 shows a different way oi constructing a tracker-board embodying my invention, and Fig. 8 is a detail o' a spacing-block.

The tracker-board herein shown is formed oi an upper and a lower section. The upper section has therein the ducts or apertures 3 through the top oi the tracker-board which communicate with the perforations in the perorated music sheet, and said upper section also has a transversely-extending chamber 4 communicating With each duct. The lower section has a plurality oi rows oi ducts 5 having a staggered arrangement, one duct for each of the transversely-extending chambers. The upper section may be made in various ways, and in Figs. I to 6 I have shown it as comprising two side pieces 7 and 8, each chambered out on its inner side, as at 9, see Fig. 5, with the chambers 9 eX- tending substantially the iull length oi the side pieces. When thus made, each side piece has the vertical side portion l() and the horiZontally-extending top flange Il. Each side piece is then provided with a plurality oi slits I2, see Fig. 4, which extend rom the inner edge I3 thereof toward the outer edge to a point beyond the wall 01"; the chamber 9, or to substantially the line I4 in Figs. 5 and 6. Ater each side piece 7 and 8 has thus been chambered and slitted, they are placed together Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Serial No. 306,928.

with the slitted sides toward each other, as shown in Fig. l, and with the slits in alinement, the spacingblocks or bars 23 having been previously placed between them at their ends. Thin plates I5 are inserted in the alined slits, said plates l5 dividing the chamber into the transversely-extending chambers 4 abovevre- 60 Ierred to. These partitions l5 come [lush with the upper surlace oi the tracker-board, and may be secured in place by soldering or in any other suitable way. Said partitions l5, therefore, not only sub-divide the chambers 9 into the chambers 4, but they also lorm with the 65 top portions Il el the separated side pieces the apertures 3. The dimension oi each aperture 3 transversely et the tracker-board depends on the thickness ot the Iilling pieces 23, while the dimension in the direction longitudinally oi the tracker-board depends on the distance between the partitions l5. As herein shown, the bottom edges ol said partitions come [lush with the bottom edges ol the side pieces 7 and 8.

The ducts or conduits 5 are secured to a base-piece IS which is removably secured to the side pieces 7 and S, 7 5 preierably by means oi screws 40. Said base-piece is provided With a plurality oi apertures or ports I9 which register with the conduits 5. These ports I9 are so arranged that one port communicates with each ol the chambers 4, as clearly seen in Fig. 3, and because the chambers 4 extend transversely oi the tracker-board, it is possible to arrange the ports I9 and consequently the conduits 5 in a plurality o longitudinal rows.

In Fig. 7, I have shown another way oi constructing a tracker-board embodying my invention. In this embodiment, the body oi the tracker-board is made up o transversely-extending partitions l5 which extend clear irom one end to the other, and spacingblocks G9 situated between adjacent' partitions, each spacing-block having substantially the shape shown 9() in Fig. 8. These spacing-blocks are so shaped that when they are assembled with the partitions 15, the transv ersely-extending chambers 4 are ormed. These partitions and spacing-blocks may be secured together in any suitable way.

When the body or' the tracker-board is made, said tracker-board is completed by detachably securing the base-piece IS thereto, as above described.

In both ol the orms oi the invention herein illustrated, I propose to employ a packing-strip 65 oi 100 leather, elt or other similar material between the basepiece I8 and the body oi the tracker-board, this packing-strip being employed `for the purpose or' making a tight joint at this point.

In the manufacture of the tracker-board aiter the body has been made, said body, the base-piece and packing-strip G5 are assembled and secured together, the base-piece having previously been formed with the apertures or poi'ts 19. The packing-strip G5 is then perforated in some suitable way, as, for instance, by inserting a hot needle or other tool through each of the ports 19. This will result in upsetting the edge of the packing-strip adjacent each aperture therein, as at G4 (see Fig. 2l. The advantage of this construction will be pointed out later'.

I have hei'ein shown the apertures 3 through the top of the tracker-board as having' the flaring sides 20. I I g'ive the apertures this shape so as to facilitate as much as possible the entrance of air into the chambers 4 through said apertures.

An advantage is gained by making the passages through the tracker-board in the form shown, that is, with an aperture 3 leading to an enlarged chamber' 4. In the first place, it permits the conduits 5 to be readily separated from each other sulliciently so that they will not interfere with each other, and in the second place, it furnishes a settling chamber within the tracker-board in which any dust or other line pai'ticles of foreign matter which enter' the apertures 3 may accumulate without being di'awn into the ducts 5 which lead to the pneuinatics.

The cross-sectional area ot each chamber 4 is many times greater than the area of the aperture 3, and obviously, therefore, the air which is drawn in through the aperture 3 enters said aperture rapidly, yet when this volume of air i'eaches the settling' chamber' 4- it will have a comparatively slow movement sufficient to allow any dust or foreign matter thereon to settle, and the chances that such foreign matter will be drawn into the port 19 are very small. The bur is turned-up edge G-/l which is formed in the packing material 65, as abovedescribed, forms a sort of guard around each of the ports 19 to prevent any dust from getting into said poi'ts.

It will be noted that the base-piece 1S is detacliably secured to the body of the tracker-board, and that when said base-piece is removed, the chambers 4 and ducts 5 are readily accessible for cleaning'. I regard this feature as of considerable importance, because if for any reason any ot the chambers 4 or the ports 19 become clogged, they may be readily cleaned by removing the base-piece 1S. With my improvement, therefore, there is little likelihood that the passages through the tracker-board will become clogged, and if dus't does accumulate in the chamber lle, it may be readily removed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A tracker board having a plurality of transverselyextending chambers and an aperture leading to each chant ber through the top of the tracker board, all the apcrtures being similar and each aperture having a varyingl diameter.

a plurality ol. transverselyber through the top o1 the tracker board, all the apersiiiiilai' and each apertui'e having a larger diameter where it opens into the chamber than at the top surface of the tracker board.

3. A tracker board composed ot al1 upper section and :i separate lower section, said upper section having a longitudinally-extending chamber and a plurality of transversely-extendiiig slits each extending from the upper siii'- lace 01 said section to the bottom thereof, and partitions in said slits sub-dividing the longitudinal chamber into transverse chambers, said lower section having ducts leadingl to the chambers.

4. A tracker-board composed o1' an ripper' section and a lower section, said upper' section comprising two side pieces each shaped to present the side portion ,l0 and the liorizontallyextending top portion l1, and each having a plurality of slits formed therein and partitions occupyingl said slits and extending from the top to the bottom olf said section, and said lower section having a duet therein lead ing' to the space between each partition.

5. A tracker-board comprising two cliainbered side pieces. each having transversely-extending slits or grooves, partitions inserted in said grooves and dividing the in tei'ior ot' the tracker-board into transversely-extending chambers, and a base piece provided with a port for each chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my inline to this specification, in the presence oi.' two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB lZINNlG.

Witnesses Louis C. SMITH, Rioni. V. Gonrz.

aperture leading.;l to each cham 

